Model legislators

Posted
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 1:13 pm

On Feb. 27, just about a month before the Affordable Health Care Act was pulled from the House floor, President Donald Trump had a notable quote about the reform he vowed to bring on his first day in office.

“Nobody knew health care could be so complicated.”

Trump was largely derided for the comment, but let’s be honest. Though it may seem obvious that this type of legislation is verbose and takes months to craft, there are very few people who could dive in and explain every single bullet point of the Affordable Care Act.

However, there were some young folks at the State House this past weekend who might be able to take your hand and lead you through the ins and outs of government legislation.

More than 100 students from 11 schools across the state filled the House and Senate Chambers to participate in the 70th Model Legislature.

While it was a showcase in future leaders that featured committees ranging from judiciary and finance to corporations and labor, the event once involved three times as many schools. A number of factors appear to be the cause for a drop in numbers from the competition for a student’s time from athletics to jobs and school clubs to a lack of advisors.

If anything, now is the time for more high school students to get involved and learn about the legislative process.

Whether they seek elective office or not, they will be informed, and that offers hope for our future.

By ETHAN HARTLEY The Warwick City Council will hold hearings to discuss Mayor Solomon's $322.8 million FY20 budget proposal next week, but some financially active residents have scheduled their own meeting to interpret the numbers and raise points of